Benjamina Ebuehi's Recipe for Vegan Orange Fries | The perfect place

It took me a while to switch to aquafaba, the liquid left over in a can of chickpeas, as an egg replacement. I was sure that anything I made of it would have a slight taste of legumes, but I was wrong! Now I appreciate how useful an ingredient can be when baking for those who don't eat eggs. Here, aquafaba is whipped until frothy and then mixed with an almond batter, producing sweet cupcakes with soft exteriors and fluffy, syrup-filled interiors. Prep 20 mins Cook 25 mins Serves 6

70g melted vegan butter, plus extra for greasing40g plain flour, plus extra for dusting90g ground almonds½ tsp baking powder 100 g icing sugar A pinch of salt Zest of an orange About 100 ml aquafaba drained from 1 can of 400 g chickpeas A handful of slivered almonds

For the syrupZest and juice of 1 orange2 ½ tsp caster sugar1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)

Heat the oven to 200 C (180 C fan)/390 F/ gas 6. Brush the inside of a cupcake or fondant tray with melted butter, then dust lightly with flour.

In a bowl, combine flour, almonds , baking powder, icing sugar and salt.

In another bowl, whisk the aquafaba by hand for two to three minutes, until it is sparkling. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the orange zest and 70g of melted butter, and stir until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared molds and garnish each with a handful of 'flaked almonds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the pan halfway through, until the cakes are lightly browned and springy to the touch.

While the sweets are cooking, prepare the syrup. Using a potato peeler, peel long strips of zest from the orange, then cut them into thin slices and put them in a saucepan with the sugar, the juice from the orange and the orange blossom water, if applicable. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes, until the mixture is syrupy and the zest is softened.

Pour a little syrup on fries cooked while still warm, then let cool completely before serving.